Wednesday, November 11, 2009

More Bread=Happy?????

OK, so here is yet another example of the anti low-carb sentiment that is sweeping the Nation, with a study released 2 days ago stating the more carbs we eat, the happier we are.

Hmmm, really?

The researchers actually had the testicular fortitude to state that weight loss was the same whether one ate low carb, more protein versus low fat, more carbs.

Again, really?

The Headline in the HealthDay Reporter read "To Feel Better, Low-Fat Diet May Be Best."

The author quotes one of the researchers, Grant D.Brinkworth, from Adelaide, Australia as stating "Both an energy-reduced, very low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet and a conventional high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet are equally effective for achieving weight loss in overweight and obese individuals."

My only response to that statement was again,

Really?

As soon as I saw that it was an Australian researcher, I immediately remembered that one of the most referenced textbooks on something known as the Glycemic Index (GI) is just plain wrong. The GI is supposed to tell us how quickly sugar is released into our bloodstream and there have been many cookbooks and other reference texts based on this concept.

When I first came across the concept of the GI, the theory seemed correct so I attempted to use it in my daily practice. I started implementing the GI with two groups of people in my practice; my diabetics and obese patients. The only problem with the GI was it did not work to any significant degree to control blood sugars or to help people to loose weight. So just as quickly as I started placing patients on a GI based diet, I stopped. I now place the GI concept under the title of pseudo-science.

Now back to the study.

Allow me to restate what this study was allegedly analyzing; the correlation between mood and type of diet one consumes. The Nov. 9 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine goes on to state that, 'Only the low-fat diets will result in long-term improvement in mood." To which I reply "Is that a fact?" And of course, it is indeed not. We all must remember that this was just one study with only 108 participants followed over one year only; with a mean age of 50.

I have been placing my patients on low carb, more fat, cholesterol and protein diets for about 10 years. It's interesting because I do not see what this study purports to claim; most patients are happier and are jubilant that they have lost weight, controlled their blood sugar and blood pressure, cured their relux esophagitis (aka heartburn) MOST OF THE TIME WITHOUT THE NEED FOR MEDICATIONS!!!! And most of my patients are able, if they were on medications, to stop them completely! I almost never see this when a patient continues on a low fat, high carb diet.

I have 20 times the amount of people in my practice eating low carb, more fat, from all age groups (most of whom are indeed in the 50 year category as this is when most people start to take their health seriously),than the Archives of Internal Medicine Study; and my study is well over a year, over 10 years for most people; AND I HAVE NOT SEEN ANY SIGNIFICANT MOOD ALTERATIONS AS THIS RIDICULOUSLY LIMITED CLOSE MINDED STUDY SUGGESTS I SHOULD BE SEEING!!!!

This study stated that the mood was better in the low fat group at a year than the low carb arm of the study. So this explicitly means the study only lasted a year. In my practice, as stated above, I have 1000+ patients who have been following a low-carb lifestyle for 5, 10, to 15 years, most of whom are ecstatic they do not need meds and if they do; very little. How do we reconcile what I have witnessed first hand in my clinical practice with this limited study?

It is important to stress that such a limited study (108 participants over only a year) has received major National coverage. Not only Internet coverage, but in morning news shows as well. The ABC morning News Show in NY featured a spot on this study, and of course, all this does is paint a bad picture as to the way most of us should be eating in order to enjoy Optimum Health.

Since the Archives of Internal Medicine is recognized as a top peer reviewed medical journal; it enjoyed a media frenzy. This should scare everyone reading this Blog! Why has not my book GENOCIDE: How Your Doctor's Dietary Ignorance Will Kill You!!! enjoyed as much publicity. My book was based on 9 years of clinical experience with the further support of proven nutritional biochemical tenets; not just one year as this study was based. My book was written only after I had witnessed thousands of case histories, not just 108 as this study had.

All I can say is WOW! The pervasive, profound, abysmal ignorance of the medical profession continues; but I'm not done yet.

The article states, "Health organizations, such as the American Heart Association, tend to advocate higher-carb, low-fat diets." Yeah, because the AHA does not understand that sugar is sugar is sugar. They do not understand that plaque forming deadly cholesterol is made from glucose and fructose; they fail to realize that the consumption of saturated fat and cholesterol containing foods LOWERS one's risk for not only heart disease, but obesity, type 2 diabetes and cancer as well. The AHA is ignorant to the tenth degree where the degree equals infinity (and beyond). The AHA is responsible for the slow, and oftentimes quick deaths we see, when we follow their dietary guidelines. The AHA is responsible for the deaths of our mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, husbands, wives, children---need I go on. The AHA, by promoting their ignorant guidelines, is allowing the drug companies to take trillions of our health care dollars.

Another comment from the study;"A year later, average weight loss was about the same in each group: 30.2 pounds."

Really?

Well I cannot refute their number, but how come I haven't seen that same number in my practice? Recently a patient of mine came in having lost 100 Lbs in 10 months; usual weight loss is 30 LBs in as little as two months. In my clinical career, spanning almost twenty years, I have not seen the same numbers this study reported.

"Both diets restricted calories to about 1,433 to 1,672 a day."

Uh huh. Obviously the researchers are missing the fundamental point that calories mean nothing, absolutely nothing, in human nutrition.

I love this statement, "Dr. Ewald Horvath, interim chairman of psychiatry at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said the study was the first "to show both long-term weight loss and improved mood."

First off, I hope interim chairman means he will not be there that long. How could such an ignorant statement be uttered from an alleged medical professional??!! Are you kidding me??!! 'The first long term study." I guess their equating long-term with one year. Gee, I seem to remember a little point in my medical school training that if you're unlucky enough to be at risk for heart disease or diabetes that this risk will stay with you FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE AND NOT JUST ONE YEAR!!!!

As far as the improved mood BS, I suggest the researchers follow me a month in my practice, where I see 2-3 x the amount of people they had in their study, who have been doing low carb for well over one year, sticking to it, and are pretty darn happy their not putting fuel in the jet planes of the CEOs at the drug companies.

"But many overweight and obese people are propelled toward the high-fat diets such as Atkins, "Livin' La Vida" and "Good Calories, Bad Calories," perhaps because of quick initial weight loss, Horvath said."

With all due respect Dr. Horvath,

Number 1) many overweight people are not 'propelled' toward high fat diets, they unfortunately usually wind up in Weight Watchers or the Jenny Craig diets; gaining all their weight back after a few years and then suffer from depression or anxiety as a result. Is that increased mood?--I DON'T THINK SO!!!! Alot of times I have to put these people on antidepressants due their increased depression as a result of diet failure on the low fat, high carb plans;

Number 2) Good Calories, Bad Calories is NOT a diet plan; but a phenomenal book revealing how any and all nutritional dietary studies over the last 100 years HAVE NEVER SHOWN THAT EATING SATURATED FAT OR CHOLESTEROL CONTAINING FOODS CAUSES HEART DISEASE, INCREASES ONE'S RISK FOR OBESITY OR PLACES ONE AT RISK FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES!!!! Dr. Horvath, "Have you read the book?"

Number 3) Congratulations go out to 'Livin La Vida' who has received the recognition it should. And if I am correct, this is Jimmy Moore's site and the complete description is Livin La Vida Low Carb.' Jimmy should get global recognition because he understands more about the importance of the low carb lifestyle than most doctor's I know.

As far as the 'quick initial weight loss comment.' Yes, there is a quick initial weight loss, which is followed by more weight loss, then more, with an interesting thing happening along the way. Blood pressures and sugars normalize; heartburn goes away, energy increases, medications are stopped; and people become healthier; and I might add---HAPPIER!!!

The 'powers that be' need to stop publishing these ridiculous, one sided, close minded, limited, short-term 'we-are-looking-through-the-lens-of-our-myths-and-continue-to-only-see-the-myths' mentality; and need to focus on doing the proper double blind prospective placebo controlled studies to show them once and for all the truth/facts behind low carb, more fat/cholesterol/protein lifestyle changes. But while I think of it; that'll mean some people will have to consume too many carbs and not enough fat and this frightens me.

I think I'll stop now. Oh, I have weeks of this...

Bye for now

Dr Jim

If you haven't done so already Click Here to watch my hour long presentation on the correct way to eat; and always remember that sugar is sugar is sugar.

6 comments:

For 20 years I tried to control my hypertension by following the diet that we're told to by the government. It failed miserably. At 40 I finally gave in and started taking Lisinopril for it. It worked to lower my BP, AND drastically improved my mood. However, I was now, at the age of 40, 265lbs instead of the 179 lbs I was at 20.

My Doctor also soon after put me on a Statin drug for my, in his words, horrid cholesterol. For 3 months I literally couldn't finish a project. I was on the verge of losing my job my ability to think straight was so impaired. I'm damned lucky my grandmother saw a very brief (and now impossible to find) story on some news show (maybe 60 minutes?) about Statin's having this very side effect. I stopped taking them.

My thinking cleared up. And, I started doing research for myself on diet, nutrition, etc.

I really wish that YOU had been my doctor, would have made it a lot easier for me.

I changed my diet. This time, I went the low carb, high fat route. Today, at 46 my new Doctor has recommended that I stop taking the Lisinopril, as my BP at my last appointment was 100/60. My weight is down to 217 lbs.

She was also amazed that my previous doctor was at all concerned about my cholesterol which in her opinion looking at the old labs was fine. And, horrified that he WASN'T concerned about my fasting blood sugar of 106 at the time he was presribing the statins for cholesterol.

I charted my BP for two weeks after stopping the Lisinopril, and it did go up a bit, to 116/70. I can't wait to see what the new labs will show when I see her tomorrow.

It's a shame that this type of misinformation is still being propogated. With the prevalence of people being overweight and developing preventable diseases like diabetes, it should be obvious that we're doing something very wrong and it's a shame that so many people aren't recognizing the simplicity of what it is.

I quickly scanned the article yesterday. I didn't see anything showing they validated food intake after 1 year. If they didn't, their conclusions are baseless, regardless of the "reaches" they made. If it weren't so disgusting, it would be laughable.

First of all, congrats to Fretion - you're rockin' it out and we're all glad you're on board. I used to take Lisinopril and my previous doc (before Dr. Jim)told me I'd be on it for life. Yeah right. 3 months of lowcarbing and I was off the meds and still am. My wife, also one of Dr. Jim's lowcarbers, was on a statin. She can tell you about side affects but I saw it first hand. Now we can use the word horrendous. She's off all meds as well.

Secondly, Horvath, Schmorvath....

Thirdly, I've read Taub's book "Good calories bad calories," all 500 pages of it and it is chock full of all the clinical study you'll ever need to support the low-carb lifestyle.Read it and it'll make a believer out of you !!Ron

Got my results. Fasting Glucose still 106, but I haven't finished losing all the layers of fat, and my Dr. says that the belly fat layers are the most resistant, secreting a hormone that keeps insulin resistance high. She says that the most important thing for me to do is to keep doing what I'm doing limiting the carb intake, and we'll check things again in 6 months. She was very pleased to see that my HDL had gone from 28 to 44.

In one word...WOW. Great thread discussion! I'm very excited for fretion! Don't worry, your glucose will eventually normalize; try to stay at about 30 grams of carbs a day, say, 10 grams per meal. As the weight continue to decline, your insulin resistance will lessen, and all will be fine; WITHOUT meds! but something tells me you already knew that :-)

I am very proud of your docotr, she's right on. Has she read Taube's work? How did she come to the realization of the dietary truth; I'd love to talk to her!

I am very humbled that such a phenomenol discussion is going on here, and on my Blog to boot! Thank you all so much!

About Me

I am a Board Certified Family Physician and Nutritional Biochemist and have been in the practice of medicine for over 19 years.
I graduated from Centereach HS in 1983;
From Cornell University, with degrees in biochemistry and molecular cellular biology in 1988, in Ithaca, NY;
From the NY College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1993, in Old Westbury,NY.
Was the Chief Resident of my Family Medicine Residency from 1994-1996;
Received an MBA with Honors from Regis University in Denver,CO.
and also received a Juris Doctorate from Concord University School of Law, located in Los Angeles,CA.
I am the author of GENOCIDE: How Your Doctor's Dietary Ignorance Will Kill You.